| December 2009 |
2009 Cool Stuff Guide |
| We're not going to pretend that we've turned the corner. But it would be fair to say that those of us who have endured the global economic meltdown are emerging tougher and smarter - and, we reckon, deserving of an appropriate reward. |
Now, when talking rewards, we can't think of a better place to start contemplating their shape and form than the pages of the Cool Stuff Guide.This annual compilation from the publishers of... |more| |
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DIY tech
The beauty of Ethernet cable |
| Creating a high-speed, hard-wired Home network is easier – and more affordable – than you think. |
At some point in its history, the humble RJ-45 Ethernet connector got a bad rap. Wi-Fi routers entranced us all with their promise of easy setup and constant connectivity, while wired Ethernet... |more| |
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| November 2009 |
Digital clinic Q&A |
| Is my surround soound a waste of energy |
Q I have my television hooked up through my surroundsound system. It’s great for movies, but the rest of the time it feels like I’m just wasting energy. Is there any way to get the... |more| |
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DIY tech
Make your own cellphone charger |
| With a few AA batteries and a few rands’ worth of parts, anybody can cobble together an emergency cellphone charger... |
There’s no magic to a cellphone charger. It’s really little more than a plastic-wrapped strip of copper wire designed to deliver power (stepped down in voltage and converted to DC, of course) from an... |more| |
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| October 2009 |
Digital clinic Q&A |
| The surreal world of HDR photography |
Q I really like the striking, hyper-realistic look of highdynamic- range photographs. How can I make these myself? A The human eye is capable of capturing and... |more| |
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Ruggedise your own tech |
| How much foam and plastic does it take to save ordinary gadgets from everyday disasters? |
Portable electronic devices can be subjected to some serious knocks, drops and sticky situations – from tumbles off tables to toilet-bowl splashdowns. In response, an entire subsection of the... |more| |
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The rocket men |
| How an improbable partnership between an Internet mogul and an engineer could revolutionise the way Nasa conducts missions – and, if these iconoclasts are successful, send paying customers into space. |
In late 2001, Tom Mueller was sacrificing his nights and weekends to build a liquid-fuel rocket engine in his garage. Mueller, a propulsion engineer at California-based aerospace firm TRW, felt like... |more| |
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| September 2009 |
Digital clinic Q&A |
| Automatic theft machines |
Q I’ve heard about ATM skimming devices that can steal my card information. How do I spot one? A When Nick McGlynn stepped into a bank in April, he quickly noticed... |more| |
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Digital space exploration |
| Computerised telescopes open an easy window to the stars. |
Astronomy is one of those pursuits that becomes as complicated as you allow it to be. It can be as effortless as lying on one’s back, stargazing in an open field, or it can be an intense study of... |more| |
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How it works, 2009 Dodge charger police edition |
| With the right modifications, an off-the-shelf American police car can be a hyper-efficient surveillance machine. |
The typical American cop car isn’t born – it’s slapped together. Traditionally, this involved taking a production vehicle, bolting on a reinforced bumper and adding some lights and a divider between... |more| |
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